Girls und Panzer: Battle Royale
by KnighteWolfe
Summary: The story of Ridgeway Boys Senior High School and their sister school Saunders University High School for Girls. As they meet, compete in their respective leagues and ultimately join forces in the greatest Tankery Competition ever. THE BATTLE ROYALE!
1. Special School Annoucements

**_Girls und Panzer_**

**Tankery Team Clubhouse; Ridgeway Boys Senior Academy**

Fifteen-year old Gregory 'Greg' Treadway propped his combat boots on his desk as he sat down and observed the members of his tankery team enter the clubhouse briefing room. Gazing expressionlessly at the smiling faces and smug looks being tossed around he knew that classes were finished for the day. Like his friends and teammates, Greg had finished his classes and wanted to return to his dorm and relax. However, this meeting was one he had not wanted to call but had to in order to get a point across to his team. Glancing at his best friend, roommate, and team number two, Tankery Cadet Major Morgan Kingsford, Greg waited for the senior to call the meeting to order. Dropping his feet to the floor and rising to his feet Greg cleared his throat. At that familiar sound, the gathered young men ceased all conversations and actions before quickly taking their assigned seats.

"All right you reprobates and zoo rejects settle down and listen up!", snapped Greg as he let the scowl on his face traverse the room.

Knowing that their club leader was not in his usual joking mood, the team scrambled to their seats and sat down to await the coming lecture.

"As you all know, last week we participated in a brutally tough match against the Ooarai Boys Academy. Though we won after a hard fought match, the command cadre and I were….displeased with some of our actions. To make a point, we lost four of our tanks in the first fifteen minutes of the match and almost lost more. Granted it was due to a miscommunication on my part as team commander, these results were unacceptable and forced us to play catch up while shifting assets to cover for those lost tanks. For those errors, I take full responsibility and apologize to you my friends and teammates. In order for us to eliminate such errors in the future and overcome those we do have we, as a team, are going to re-debrief the match while reviewing the footage and going over the after-action reports that Vice Commander Kingsford is distributing to you now. Once all reports have been distributed I'm going to turn this debrief over to Morgan and we're going to go over everything. Tankery Cadet Major Kingsford, the floor is yours.", finished Greg as he took a seat in the front row facing the dais and watched the video screen drop down from its stowed position

Over the next few hours Greg and his team went over every last mistake, miscommunication, and error committed by the team. Suggestions on how to make them less susceptible to good ole 'Uncle Murphy's Law' were passed around; timidly at first but gaining momentum as the meeting wore on. Midway through the meeting as he stood at the chalkboard explaining a minor point to his guys, Greg saw the team advisor and head tankery instructor enter the room and lean unobtrusively against the wall. Acknowledging the professor with a short nod of his head, Greg finished speaking and turned the pointer over to a sophomore who led one of his light tank recon elements of M22 Locust, M24 Chaffee, and M5 Stuart light tanks. Heading over to the instructor he took up a position next to the teams' father figure and waited for him to speak.

"Good job Mr. Treadway I am glad I appointed you club and team leader at the start of the year. The principal and rest of the factory are proud of the way you lead this team as well as how you perform in class. You've shown a lot of improvement since you came aboard this school ship and started your secondary school education.", spoke the advisor in a low voice.

"Thank you sir, I appreciate the fact that such esteemed officials have taken notice of my modest and humble contributions to this school. Though I am just a student, I am enjoying my time here at Ridgeway Academy.", replied Greg.

"Oh come off of it and quit the shine job Gregory! You are one of our above average students. In the three years you've been aboard this ship and at this school, you've made the Principals' Honor Roll twice as well as been suspended for five days for fighting. So this 'Oh so humble and modest' façade of yours is a farce and every faculty member knows it. Though I am approving of this meeting, I am less than enamored of your present facetious attitude. _**I know**_ your true personality so cut the shit and listen!', snapped the advisor.

Schooling his frown into a more scholarly-acceptable mien, Greg listened as the instructor told him of the latest news. When the teacher had finished and departed, the teenager mused on what he had been told in confidence and missed most of the last part of the debriefing. It was only when his roommate tapped him on his shoulder and asked if he had anything to add did Greg snap out of his thoughts. Glancing at the chalkboard as his teammates turned to look at him Greg saw that many of the points covered in the meeting had been taken care of. Knowing that the club secretary would type up the minutes and get them distributed to the members who did not make the meeting as well as those who did, Greg shook his head and allowed Morgan to sum it all up and end the meeting.

Thirty minutes later the two friends and roommates, having closed and secured the tankery hanger, were walking through the halls of the school. As usual with boys, the topics of conversation varied from minute to minute. Going from schoolwork to sports, to cars, to girls, and back in the ten minutes it took to walk to the bus stop.

"Saw you talking with Advisor Smith during the meeting. What did he want?", asked the seventeen-year old senior Morgan Kingsford.

Greg looked over his should at his roommate as he straightened the black uniform necktie that was a mandatory part of the schools' uniform. Hitching his shoulder a bit to resettle his book back, Greg spoke.

"Not much. Wanted to see how we're doing and rain platitudes of praise on our heads.", replied Greg.

"Ah, the infamous '_shit gathers momentum as it rolls downhill'_ speech, Gotten a few of those myself in my time. So what did you do this time to garner their notice?", joked his friend.

Greg good-naturedly punched his fried in the arm while giving him a grin.

"Keep it up wiseacre and I'll punt you into one of the M3 Grant's for the next match instead of in your usual M24!", snickered Greg.

"You wouldn't dare do that to me! My Chaffee would cry and miss me! Oh the horror and degradation.", Morgan shot back dramatically.

The two were silent for a moment before breaking out into a fit of laughter as the bus pulled up. Showing their student passes to the driver before boarding, the boys took seats in the rear of the bus. Raising a light brown hand to scratch his short and curly brownish-red hair (sometimes referred to as sandy-colored by members of his family), Greg leaned back in his seat. About ten minutes later the roommates disembarked from the bus and entered their dorm building. Waving to the Residential Assistant before catching the elevator to their floor, Greg and Morgan continued their conversation. As Greg entered the apartment-like dorm suite he stripped out of the schools black blazer and undid his necktie. Since he'd hated neckties as a child and still wasn't too happy to be wearing one of the damn things as a student, Greg rubbed his throat and sighed in relief. Untying and kicking off his boots he entered his bedroom to hang up his uniform after putting on a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Re-entering the main room, Greg saw that his roommate had changed as well.

"Whatcha got planned for the evening, pardner?", asked Greg as he dropped on to the couch and turned on the tv.

"Gonna ride my bike at the velodrome for a bit before going to the gym. I don't feel like cooking so order up a couple of pizzas, I'm hungry.", came the reply.

Greg relied and picked up the phone to order a couple of Meatlovers' pizzas and a 2-liter bottle of Coke. Hanging up after telling the cashier to have it delivered, Greg turned to his roommate and found himself the focus of Morgan's questing stare. The senior cut him off before he could speak in protest.

"Alright, now that we're home tell me what Mr. Smith really wanted. The two of you spoke for quite a while. And I don't want any of your usual blithering horseshit. Tell me the real deal.", stated Morgan unequivocally.

_** "Crap! He caught me!", **__thought Greg._

Taking a deep breath the junior slowly started to speak.

"I take it you remember that our school has a sister school right?"

"Yeah, Saunders University High School: red uniform skirt, white blouse, sailor necktie, and grey blazer. The School is on an old Nimitz-class fleet carrier-type school ship. Is wealthy as hell, and has a kick ass tankery team using Sherman Tanks. What of it?"

"Weeellll… they got beat in a national tournament match a few months back. The Ooarai Girls Academy restarted its' Sensha-dou program and went on a rampage. They lost to St. Gloriana Girls School in a practice match before going on to beat Saunders, Anzio, Pravda, and Black Forest Peak for this year's championship.", started Greg.

"Good for them, but I reiterate my question: what does that have to do with us?", returned Morgan.

"Though it has been a long time since it last happened, our school ship will be meeting up with theirs next Friday. Advisor Smith told me that this is to give our Naval Studies Students and theirs experience with sailing in a fleet formation. In addition, our fellow students of Ridgeway Senior Boys School is expected to throw them a welcoming party or something for the girls who come aboard.", finished Greg lamely.

"Wait a minute, this seems like it's gonna take some more input. I'll get in touch with the rest of the cadre. You contact the other club presidents and the student council. They probably already know the specifics of what kind of event they want thrown, but we need a general meeting to get everything straight. We'll have all of them meet here. I'll go talk to the RA and get permission to use the big conference room on the first floor. Call it an hour-hour and a half tops. This will cut into study hall but we need to be on the same page as everybody else. Better order up some more pizzas!", stated Morgan with a weary grin.

Greg nodded and watched as his roommate left their dorm room. Picking up the handset he called the pizza place and ordered more pizzas. It looked as if it was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Across the ocean as the Saunders University High School for Girls school ship cruised sedately around, sixteen-year old Kay Saunders entered the cafeteria and looked for some of her Sensha-do friends. When she spotted them, Kay flounced over to their tables. Arriving at the table and greeting her friends Kay smoothed out her uniform skirt, rolled up her blazers' sleeves, and took a seat.<p>

"Hey girls, what's happening?", asked Kay as she ran a hand through her long blonde hair.

"Not much, just sitting here eating lunch and doing some studying. What about you?", answered her second in command Naomi while chewing some of her ever present gum.

Gazing around the table with a grin on her face and receiving similar comments, Kay's eyes zeroed in on the chocolate-skinned girl with shoulder length brown hair and light hazel eyes sitting at the end of the table.

"Krystal, don't you have a brother who attends an all-boys school or something?", questioned Kay.

"Yeah, my twin brother Greg; he goes to the Ridgeway Senior Boys Academy. What about him?", growled the fifteen-year old girl in response.

Kay laughed before answering her teammates' question.

"I just came from a meeting with the student council and the other club presidents. While there, I received some news from the president of the student council and the other club advisors. Though I was asked to keep it to myself, I thought you and the rest of the team would like to hear. It will be announced soon but I couldn't wait to tell y'all. Guess what school ship we're going to be meeting up with at the end of the week, ladies?"

It took a second to sink in with the girls around the table. When it did there were gasps of delight, cheers, and smug expressions spreading through the air around the table. Ignoring the hostile glances and muttered comments from the girls at the surrounding tables Kay let the rapid flow of words float around her and took a bite from her lunch. Seeing that Krystal was quiet Kay asked her a question.

"Greg, is the president of their Sensha-do Club and captain of their team. From what I gathered in emails from him, their team is pretty good. I received a video copy of their last match. Though they don't compete in Japan like we do, they do go against some of the teams that are brother schools to some of our competitors and friends.", replied Krystal.

"Oh really; what can you tell us about them", asked Alisa, Kay's third in command.

Krystal took a moment to breathe and gather her thoughts before answering.

"Unlike our matches, some of their matches are three and four day affairs. During those matches, Greg and his team have to camp out in the field. On occasion, there are night battles and they get somewhat dramatic. Their last match was a four day battle with the Ooarai Boys Academy; brother school to our friends at Ooarai Girls Academy. From what I witnessed in the video it was quite brutal. They lost four tanks in the first few minutes of the battle.", began Krystal.

"Interesting, I'll have to let Kadotani and Nishizumi know about it. What kind of tanks do they use?, asked Kay while opening her Sensha-do notebook to take notes.

"Like us they use the Sherman and all of its variations. Unlike us however, Greg's team also uses M22 Locust, M5A1 Stuart, and M24 Chaffee light tanks as well as M10 Wolverine, M18 Hellcat, and M36 Jackson tank destroyers. Greg is the tank commander of one of their specially modified M18 Hellcats with the folding turret roof. He's real good at using the superior speed of the Hellcat to set up and initiate ambushes before disengaging at high speeds. Greg and his team are also extremely unpredictable. Just think of how unpredictable Ooarai is and multiply that by a factor of a hundred. Back in my room I have a DVD where Greg jumped his Hellcat and surprised a trio of Matilda II tanks from Highbury Boys Technical School; brother school to our friends at St. Gloriana Girls College. Ridgeway lost but Greg and his crew received a commendation from the judges for his actions., continued Krystal.

"I remember that match! I happened to catch it on television. Commander Darjeeling was suitably impressed with them and sent them a St. Gloriana Pennant and a box of tea. Ridgeway replied by sending them a bouquet of flowers and one of their own pennants. My friend Marie told me that Lady Darjeeling was most surprised by the gift and demanded that her betrothed; Sir Archibald Jones-Smyth, the leader at Highbury Tech, introduce them a short while later. Archie acquiesced and at their next championship, which they call a battle royal, he introduced Darjeeling to the Ridgeway Team.", commented Monica Parker, the gunner for Krystal's Sherman Jumbo.

Before anyone else could add to the discussion, they were interrupted by the public address system and listened as the Student Council President made the announcement about the join up with the Ridgeway school ship on Friday. When the system went off and the ensuing cheers subsided, Kay asked Krystal if she had any pictures of her brother. Krystal admitted that she had before reaching into her backpack, grabbing her wallet, retrieving the photos, and passing them around. Gazing at the first one Kay noted that Krystal's brother's uniform was a long-sleeved khaki shirt, black blazer with the school's crest over the chest pocket, and black pants with a khaki stripe down the seam on the sides. Looking closer, her eagle-eyes picked out a thin red stripe in the center of the khaki stripes and asked about it as she passed the photo around.

"Oh he calls it a blood stripe. It signifies that he was injured during a match. Some of his teammates have them as well. If I remember correctly, he got it while participating in a match against their arch rivals at the Cascade Mountain Boys Reformatory High School as a freshman. Greg told me he received it when his light tank was knocked out of competition and broke his nose. However, my father told me that the broken nose came when Greg got into a fight with some of the reform school seniors after the match. Because of that fight, my occasionally overaggressive brother garnered a week-long suspension from school and was temporarily banned from participating in their next few matches. Our parents were soooo pissed that Greg got himself suspended from class. I remember that my mother was furious and refused to talk to Greg for three weeks. Our father had to be the mediator between Greg and our mother. For his part, father was extremely disappointed in Greg and gave him a two hour lecture on it.", answered Krystal with a small moue of frustration.

Kay nodded and gazed at the next picture passed her way. Apparently it was some kind of publicity shot as she noted that Krystal's brother was with his five man tank crew standing at attention in front of the menacing M18 Hellcat. Krystal's twin Greg had on a pair of black tankers' boots, sharply pressed black fatigue pants, and a long-sleeved Khaki shirt and black necktie tucked in between a couple of buttons. On his head he wore a billed brown combination hat. Kay recognized that the hat had the ubiquitous 'Fifty-Mission' crush and was tilted at a rakish angle on a head of short hair. Kay saw that each member of Greg's crew had their hats tilted at a similar angle.

After passing that photo around as well as couple of others, Kay was handed a photo where Krystal's brother was catching a nap on the deck of his tank. It was apparent to the sixteen-year old blonde that the sleeping boy and his crew had been working on their Hellcat. The oil-stained t-shirt and sweats attested to that fact. Kay surmised that this was one of the more candid kinds of photos because somebody had rested a wrench on Greg's nose as he napped. A little bit later after all of the pictures had been returned to Krystal and put away, Kay asked her teammate if she had other recordings of Greg's matches. When she answered in the affirmative, Kay asked her to bring a few to the Sensha-do hangar for the team could watch them at the next meeting.

"Sure Kay, it's no problem. I'll bring a few by tomorrow. Any particular ones you want to view?", asked Krystal.

"Yeah, bring the ones where they went against the brother schools of our main competitors; Ooarai, St. Gloriana, Anzio, Pravda, and Black Forest Peak Academies. If you have one, bring a copy of a match where they went against their arch rivals. More than likely, I'll make copies of the first five and send them to Miho Nishizumi, Darjeeling, Anchovie, Katyusha, and Maho Nishizumi just so I can get their input. No, scratch that we'll analyze those videos ourselves. Maybe I'll pass them along but I haven't decided yet. Though they could be a learning experience for our friends, I would rather not give away Ridgeway's tankery secrets to a potential competitor.", replied Kay.

"Umm, Kay; not to be a killjoy but these matches went on for three or four days each. The corresponding DVD's are gonna be quite lengthy. I know for a fact that there are times in the matches where nothing was going on.", cautioned Krystal.

"Maa, maa Krystal, don't worry about that! We'll watch one a week and make it a team bonding thing or something.", chirruped Kay happily.

Since lunch was ending as they finished the conversation, the girls split up and left the cafeteria for their next classes. Kay's next class period was a computer class/study hall. Mentally writing letters to the other schools, she pulled her phone out of her blazer's pocket and thumbed through the numbers of her counterparts at the other schools before finding the one she wanted. Pressing the 'talk' button Kay waited for her call to connect.

"Good Afternoon. Thank you for calling the St. Gloriana Girls Academy Sensha-do clubhouse. My name is Jasmine, how may I direct your call?", came the cultured voice of the receptionist.

"Jasmine, this is Kay, Captain of the Saunders University High School Sensha-do Team. Is Lady Darjeeling around?", replied Kay as she walked down the hall.

"Ahh, Miss Kay, Miss Darjeeling is presently indisposed for the moment She has been in a most foul mood today. I believe she will be retiring early, her stomach has been paining her most unpleasantly for the past several days. May I direct your call to Miss Pekoe?", came the circumspect answer.

Reading between the lines, Kay understood what the girl was trying to say and winced in commiseration. Her time had passed two weeks previously and from all accounts Kay had been a total bitch to everyone. Answering in the affirmative, the sixteen-year old blonde waited for Orange Pekoe-Darjeeling's vice commander-to pick up the receiver. When Orange answered, Kay requested her to pass a message to her commander and suggested that her counterpart try placing a filled hot water bottle on her stomach to alleviate some of the pain.

"Miss Kay, hello how are you doing.", started Orange after she had picked up.

Kay heard the familiar tell-tale sound of fine chinaware through the phone and deduced that Orange had just placed her ever-present cup of her namesake tea on its saucer and smiled. The well-bred young women of St. Gloriana Girls College were quite predictable in that regard. It seemed to Kay as if they lived on tea and she wouldn't be surprised if some of those young women had found a way to make their tanks run on the stuff. For Kay and the rest of Saunders, hot cocoa was their warm drink of choice, though some of the seniors did prefer coffee. Kay was partial to Coca-Cola in its familiarly-shaped glass bottle herself.

"I'm fine Orange. Just on my way to my next class. What about you?", returned Kay as she hit up a nearby vending machine for her beloved Coke.

"I am well and good. Other than Lady Darjeeling's present ailment, events here are proceeding in their usual fastidious manner. Our Sensha-do team is quite appreciative of this extended break between matches. Of course there are some of our more expressive teammates who are, to use an American euphemism, 'chomping at the bit' for action.", stated Orange Pekoe as she refilled her cup.

"Yeah, I have to deal with some teammates like that myself. However, that is not the newest news flying around Saunders at the moment. The newest news is the fact that the school ship of our brother school, Ridgeway Senior Boys Academy, will be joining up with ours sometime next week. According to our school history, the last time that happened was several years ago. It's been fifteen years since that event if I remember correctly. In addition, it seems that some of the Saunders students of that time kept in touch with and later married students from Ridgeway.", began Kay.

"Fascinating, I believe that our present headmistress is a St. Gloriana alumnus and she eventually married a student from Highbury Technical Boys School; though she doesn't speak much about it. She was somewhat displeased when Sir Archibald and Lady Darjeeling announced their recent engagement. However, I do doubt that you made contact just to inform us of that fact.", Orange commented in a searching tone voice.

"You're perceptive as always Lady Pekoe. I did call for another reason. I wanted to speak with Darjeeling about this subject but since the two of you are quite close, I can speak with you. I recently found out that our brother school has a Sensha-do team of their own. In fact the commander of the Ridgeway team is the twin brother of one of my teammates. I take it you remember Krystal Treadway from our last match? Her twin brother Gregory is the Ridgeway team commander as well as their Sensha-do club president.", continued Kay.

"Of course I remember Miss Krystal. Not only did she knock out two of our tanks but she'd made that most delightful dip you shared with us after the match."

"Yeah, her rotel dip was great. A bit spicy but it was delicious."

"To answer your question; yes I've heard of the Ridgeway Sensha-do Team and was able to meet the team leader; young master Treadway awhile back as Lady Darjeeling's adjutant. Darjeeling's betrothed Sir Archibald was most impressed with him and has the utmost respect for Gregory Treadway. Even if he is an Arsenal fan.", finished Orange as she took another sip from her cup.

Kay shook her head as she listened to Pekoe. She could never understand the emnities between fans of certain English Soccer Teams. She much preferred American Football and watched it religiously whenever Saunders traveled close enough to the American coast. One day in the future, Kay planned to visit America and see if she could get a ticket to a game.

The two girls spoke for a short while longer until Kay had to disconnect because she was about to enter her classroom. After a round of final pleasantries, the blonde hung up her phone as she walked through the classroom door. As an above average student, Kay always made sure her phone was off upon entering class. She did not want to garner a suspension from the Sensha-do team because she was interrupting class.

* * *

><p>It was the end of the school day and Kay was heading over to the Sensha-do team facilities for a quick meeting with her command staff. Upon entering the bay reserved for the team, Kay stopped and took a minute to admire the lines of Sherman Tanks precisely laid out in at least six parallel rows awaiting their next call to duty. Letting her gaze roam the area her eyes alighted on the wall where the numerous awards for competition Saunders had earned or won over the many decades the school had participated in Sensha-do. At the end of the wall there was a conspicuous empty spot where the national championship banner would go if they ever managed to win another National Championship.<p>

_** "Hopefully, that spot will be filled at the end of the year", **__thought Kay as she heard her name called from across the bay._

Kay turned to acknowledge who had called out to her and saw that her third in command Alisa was making her way in her direction. Waving back and heading for the shorter girl, Kay wondered what she wanted. Upon exchanging greetings with her shorter friend she listened as Alisa explained the reason for her more than usual giddiness. It seems that the teams' advisor/instructor had stopped by earlier and informed Alisa that the Saunders Alumni Association had recently finished acquiring four new tanks for the team. Kay lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

"We managed to purchase four M26 Pershing Heavy Tanks for our team. Eight were up for sale but another school beat us to the other four.", chittered Alisa excitedly.

Hearing about the new additions, Kay's questioning look switched to one of pure excitement. Remembering the specifications on the Pershings, a part of her mind was rapidly running through all of the new possibilities.

"Weight: 46 tons. Length: 20 feet 9.5 inches. Width: 11 feet 6 inches. Crew: 5. Armor-upper hull: 100mm; Lower hull and turret sides: 76mm. Hull sides: 50-75mm. Main armament: 90mm gun M3 with 70 rounds ready. With two Browning M1919 machine guns in 30-06 and one Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun for the tank commander._ OH HELLS YEAH! _ Now we can form a heavy assault squad with Naomi's Sherman Firefly and its British Ordinance Quick Firing17-pounder main gun. With the firepower of the seventeen pounder complimented by those 90mm's, we'd have a slight edge over everyone else. Black Forests' Maus better watch out, we're coming to getcha! The only drawback to those four Pershings that I can see is the fact that they're slow compared to our Sherman's. The light tanks from Anzio and Ooarai would outrun and outmaneuver those 26's. We need to find a way to increase the engine performance of the Pershings for a higher speed before our first major match of the year.", Kay happily replied.

Alisa was glad to see her commander happy with the news as well; however she still had one more thing to tell Kay. Clearing her throat to get Kay's renewed attention; Alisa prepared to tell the blonde the bad news.

"Umm Kay, I have one more bit of news and you're not gonna be happy about it. We missed out on getting the lone Super Pershing that had been rumored up for sale. Everyone thought it had been scrapped, however my sources told me that it had been found, rebuilt from the ground up, and renovated for Sensha-do. Before the alumni could offer the owner a substantial price to start negotiations, the owner donated it to another school. Unfortunately, no one knows what school received it and if they do then they aren't talking about it.", stated Alisa warily.

The short brown-haired girl winced as Kay blistered the air with curses that'd make a sailor blush in embarrassment. Alisa knew that her friend was one of the most expressive girls aboard ship. When she was happy, the whole world was a happy. When she was pissed off, it seemed as if their school ship itself wanted to run and hide. Waiting a few minutes to let Kay's cursing subside, Alisa glanced at the nearest bulkhead. To her imagination, the wall itself looked as if it the paint was peeling from the virulent invective as it blasted its way around the bay and echoed. Looking around the room again, Alisa saw that the majority of their teammates who'd been in the bay had pulled a magic act and disappeared once Kay's cursing started. She could hear the fading echoes of footsteps as everyone rabbitted to get out of Kay's way.

When Kay had completed her rant, she realized that-other than her own voice-the bay was silent. Alisa sighed to herself as Kay glared at those who didn't escape in time and had taken to hiding in and around the gathered tanks. Those girls were peeking out from their hiding spots only to recoil in fright as Kay glared at anyone in her immediate visual area before storming off towards the team office. Meekly following behind the team leader, Alisa wondered if any of her counterparts at the other schools had to go through this kind of shit.

* * *

><p>Later on that evening, the three leaders of the team approached the dormitory room of their teammate Krystal. Listening as Naomi and Alisa bickered back and forth like sisters behind her, Kay knocked on the door.<p>

"Who is it?", called Krystal from somewhere inside.

"Hey Krystal it's Kay. I have Naomi and Alisa with me. Mind if we come in to talk?", asked Kay.

"Sure, give me a minute to get the door. I was finishing up some homework.", answered Krystal

It took their teammate a couple of minutes to open the door and let them enter. As she entered the foyer, Kay slipped off her shoes, placed them by the door, and followed Krystal further into her studio apartment-like dormitory room. Krystal was attired in a black and gold tank-top and a pair of black satin lounging pants and looked very relaxed to Kay's eyes. The two spoke for a minute as Naomi and Alisa removed their shoes and entered the room.

Dropping into an inviting chair filled with fluffy pillows after offering her team leaders some refreshment, Krystal invited them to take a seat and make themselves comfortable.

"So Commander Kay, Vice Commander Naomi, Vice Commander Alisa, what brings the three of you to my humble seagoing abode?", asked Krystal.

Before anyone could answer, Naomi yelped in pain as she sat down on something sharp and pointy. Lifting her butt out of the chair enough to reach underneath and slide her hand around on the cushion to find what had poked her, the tall short-haired master tank sniper felt something unusual. Bringing the object around in front of her body to show the other girls the offending object, Naomi looked confused and started to ask the hostess what it was. Before she could voice her inquiry Krystal cried out in relief.

"_My Spurs! Thank God you found them. I've been looking for them for almost a week._ Naomi, I hope they didn't hurt you. If they did I do apologize for being so careless.", chirruped Krystal as she reached out for her new found possession.

As Naomi handed the offending items over, Kay asked what they were and what Krystal used them for.

"These are a set of spurs for my cowboy boots. Greg gave them to me after his first tankery battle. Apparently Ridgeway awards a custom set of spurs to each new team member after their first battle. Though his team lost and his tank was knocked out early in the match, the team commander at the time gave Greg these spurs for participating. I guess its kinds of a rite of passage for them. Greg had a replica set custom-made for my boots and sent them to me. Here let me pass them around so you can see them, Kay. Just be careful, as Naomi can attest, the points are very sharp.", answered Krystal as she passed the spurs over.

When the spurs were returned to their owner and a demonstration given of how they were attached to her boots, Krystal explained that every so often her brother would send her another pair. And because of that, she had quite a collection of them. When the explanation was finished, Kay asked Krystal if her and the two vice-commanders could watch one of the recordings of the Ridgeway team.

"The three of us wanted to see what they as boys can do in a sport for girls. When we meet up with their ship, we may ask to go against them in an exhibition match. These videos would give us good information so we could prepare for them just in case they agree to the match. Plus we could see their tanks in action and if there is a possibility of adding more tanks to our current arsenal we could, with their help, become a much better and well-rounded team. Our M4's are some of the best tanks from that era but because we use Sherman's exclusively our team is somewhat one-dimensional and I want to change that before I graduate from here.", explained Kay.

Krystal said it was no problem and handed over six DVDs' after a short search. She also handed Kay a folder with some of her personal observations she'd written down critiquing each match over several days. After a couple of hours of just hanging out and chatting, Kay, Naomi, and Alisa said their goodbyes and left Krystal's dorm room to return to their own lodgings for the evening. As they walked the streets Kay absently listened as Naomi and Alisa discussed some inconsequential subject. When they arrived at the cross street where the trio went their separate ways, she bid her friends farewell and made the turn on to her street. Entering the dormitory building right before curfew, Kay demurely bowed her head while undergoing the familiar lecture from the dorm-mother. Shortly after that, the sixteen-year old blonde student was unlocking and entering her dorm room. Tossing her book satchel on her desk and stripping out of her uniform, Kay put on her favorite night shirt and went to bed. As Mr. Sandman whisked her off to dreamland, her mind ran through several ideas presently occupying her thoughts. Her last conscious thought was of Sherman tanks charging off into battle.

* * *

><p><em>And with that, I end the first chapter of my foray into the world of Girls und Panzer fanfiction. I do hope you readers enjoyed my take on events in the GuP world. <em>

_For those of you who are curious as to why I decided to write this, I have to say, I don't know. It just came to me after I watched the subtitled Girls und Panzer episodes. I thank my eternal friend F-14 Tomcat Lover for introducing me to such a hilarious and interesting series. Thanks a lot buddy. I owe you big time! _

_This story takes place a few months after Miho and Ooarai won the National Championship match. I chose to the girls of Saunders as the foil for my OC's and originally created school because I feel that in some stories, Saunders doesn't get that much attention. I may be wrong though only time will tell. Now just because I'm focusing more on Saunders it doesn't mean that I have forgotten the other schools. As you probably read, two characters from St. Gloriana Girls College made a cameo appearance while some of the other schools were named. Fear not gentle readers. In the next chapter, you'll hear from all of the other main schools in the series. I'll try to portray the characters as mostly in character but I apologize in advance if they end up drastically out of character. For now I'm gonna take my time and write this and there may be long periods of time between updates. There's a reason for that and I'll explain in a bit. _

_For fans of my other work, I have some bad news. A few weeks ago the harddrive on my laptop went kaput and I lost everything I had already written for some of my other stories (including the new stuff I had written for 'Promises in Snow and Ice). I was most upset when that happened and replaced the harddrive in my laptop. Unfortunately I am waiting to receive some information from someone who is attempting to retrieve all of my documents, music, and pictures from my old HD. I hope he is able to and I can get back to my full swing of writing. In addition to the new stuff I had for 'PiSaI, I had started a new Robotech story set in the Shadow Chronicles era. As most of you who know me, I'm a big Robotech fan and a big fan of Khyron and Azonia. Needless to say, that story (called 'Raven Squadron') as well as my others is on a long, and in some cases longer term, hiatus. At the present time I am working on this GuP story and am attempting to write a story based off of the series 'Zipang'. I do apologize from the bottom of my wolfish heart about the continued delays in getting out new material for my older stories. Please bear with me a little bit longer. _

_And on that note I must sign off for now. As usual, comments, suggestions, and criticisms are accepted. Just either drop me a PM or leave a review. Flames will be used by Kay to keep her Sherman tank warn next time she and the rest of Saunders face off against Pravda in the cold north. _

_This is the Knightewolfe, signing off for now._

_**KW**_

_**Knightewolfe's Lair **_

_**11/14**_


	2. Rendezvous

_**Girls und Panzer: Battle Royale**_

_**Chapter 2: Rendezvous.**_

Classes at Ridgeway Senior Boys Academy had let out early in preparation for the impending arrival of the Saunders University High School academy ship and all of the boys were overly excited. For the seniors soon to graduate the thoughts were of finding and meeting a Misses Right to court. For others it was just the excitement of meeting girls. For Greg, it was just another day at sea for school. Granted it was one of the extremely rare half-days in the entire school calendar year. And yet, he was completely underwhelmed by it all. In fact, if it wasn't for the joining up with the Saunders ship, Greg and his schoolmates would still be hip-deep in class. There were plans from the faculty to cancel a scheduled half-day later in the year to make up for this one. Either that or add an extra day to the school calendar.

At the present time Greg was making use of the velodrome and doing some laps for exercise. He'd already completed six laps when he first spotted the majestic grey shape of the _Nimitz_-class supercarrier-type ship operating as the vessel for Saunders on the horizon. Taking a short break to observe the grand empress of academy ships while the Ridgeway Naval Studies students neatly maneuvered their old assault carrier-type ship (_Tarawa_-class) alongside and translating the flashes of signaling lights for both ships, Greg had ignored the sudden excitement from other students making use of the velodrome. Continuing his workout, Greg soon found himself immersed in his own world as he regulated his pace. When Instructor Smith loudly cleared his throat from right behind him, Greg almost lost control of his bike. Barely avoiding a nasty spill that would have caused some injuries, the teenager slowed to a stop.

"Thinking hard there Mr. Treadway? I've been pacing you for your last few laps and you didn't realize it. You must've had a lot on your mind?", questioned the professor.

"Kind of. Been going over what was passed around at the student council and activity meeting last night. The president of the council decreed that we throw some sort of a welcoming ceremony, reception, and dance for our sisters at Saunders. He also 'suggested' that our tankery team do something special for the Saunders Tankery Team if and when they come aboard. Of course I'm not exactly knowledgeable about what he wants us to do so after I finish here, I gotta meet up with my cadre in order to hash something out and throw something together. Granted I knew they would be coming aboard but I thought it wouldn't be so soon.", replied Greg testily.

"Ah, I see. Sounds complicated but that is the lot of a commander. Whether in business or martial lines of work.", commented the older man in a testing tone of voice that Greg recognized.

Taking a frustrated breath of air and stopping his bike, Greg lifted his helmet up and ran hand through his sweat-slicked hair. Before he could continue the discussion the sound of the Ridgeway Academy helicopters' engine turning over interrupted him. Waiting for the chopper to lift off so the discussion could continue Greg organized his thoughts.

"In addition to my earlier words, tonight the team has the induction ceremony for the new team members. They're receiving their Stetsons, ascots, and team patches tonight. These items signify that they are team members. Per tradition, and with the upcoming match against Cascade Mountain, the nuggets won't receive their spurs until afterwards. Just in time to have them for the Battle Royale next month.", continued Greg after the sound of the helicopter had faded.

The two were silent for a bit as they felt the breeze blowing across the deck before Mr. Smith spoke again.

"Speaking of upcoming matches, there is talk among the faculty that the principal is hinting at scheduling a practice match against Saunders early next week. I don't know if it's fact or if it's the rumor mill running amuck again. What I do know that if this practice match is agreed upon it will interrupt training and preparations for the match against Cascade Mountain that starts next Friday. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know.", stated the instructor.

Greg cursed in aggravation and garnered a chastising glare from the teacher. Mumbling an apology for his use of less than gentlemanly language, he decided to finish up his laps and hit the showers before heading out into the city for a bit prior to conducting the meeting with his tankery cadre. It had initially promised to be short, however with the new expectations handed to him; the meeting was going to be extended.

Ninety minutes later, Greg entered one of the off campus hangout for his tankery team. Passing through the bat-wing doors into the faux saloon he spotted several of his classmates and teammates enjoying some downtime. Catching the bartenders' eye as he walked towards the pool tables in the back where his cadre had congregated, Greg ordered his usual drink.

"One tall frosty mug of root beer coming up.", deadpanned the senior work-study student.

"Thanks Beau, send it over to the pool tables. I'll be there shortly. Is the back room in use today?", asked Greg as he placed his back on the shelf provided.

"Yeah sorry. One of the committees is back there discussing something. They'll probably be finished in about thirty to forty-five minutes or so. I'll give you buzz when it's ready."

"Thanks again, man. I appreciate it. The student council and my team's advisor/instructor just dumped a load of that infamous smelly stuff over my head. Now I gotta jump through hoops to keep it from ruining my boots. On top of that I have to think about changing the venue where our new tankery team members are going to receive their Stetsons, ascots, and team patches. Usually we have it on the grinder in front of the tank hangers. Unfortunately, I get the dubious honor of inviting our sister schools' tankery team to witness the ceremony. It feels as if I'm juggling six grenades in my cut up hands while walking a tightrope over an alligator pit without a safety harness. To top all of that off, five of the grenades are live. With the pins pulled, my hands are the only thing keeping the safety levers attached.", complained Greg.

"Ehhh, that's bad pardner; that's damn bad. Maybe something will work out. Why don't you go over and join your buddies at the tables for now and relax for a spell. I'll get you when the back room opens up. Before you go and join the guys, take this pitcher over there. It's on the house."

Greg gazed at the upperclassman in astonishment. They shared the same advanced science lab class and talked to each other all the time so Greg knew that the guy was struggling financially. Greg also knew that the owner of the establishment was occasionally a bit stingy when paying his work-study students. In addition to those things, the junior was aware that the bartender was a straight 'A' honors student and had numerous colleges and universities trying to woo him with some serious academic scholarships. Beau hadn't yet decided on which higher education institution to attend but it was a sure bet to Greg and some of his friends that he was a sure choice for Valedictorian when he graduated. Profusely thanking the eighteen year old senior Greg accepted the pitcher and made his way over to where Morgan and the others were waiting. Grinning at his partners in tankery and other things, Greg took a moment to imprint this image of his friends and compatriots into his memory.

First off there was his best friend, team vice-commander, roommate, and all-around partner in crime Morgan Kingsford; a seventeen year old senior who stood around six foot one and weighed in around two hundred and ten pounds. Morg, as his friends called him, was the overall commander of Greg's recon elements of mixed Stuart, Locust, and Chaffee light tanks. Usually a serious guy but able to plan some intricate pranks for posterity, Morg loved annoying their opponents with lightning quick slash and go attacks on heavier tanks and was willing to slug it out with opposing light and some medium tanks. Presently, Morgan was attempting to make a pool shot but was being pestered by the team's third-in-command.

Next up was Greg's third in command; a jaw-jacking, wiseass, street smart, city-slicker sophomore. Tankery Cadet Captain Ricardo 'Rico' Brinkstone was one of the shortest and lightest members of the cadre. Standing five foot six inches tall and tipping the scales at a buck seventy-five in uniform, Rico commanded an M22 Locust he'd nicknamed '_Fuego_' as an homage to his Spanish Heritage and fiery Latin temper. The recently turned fifteen-year old was intensely loyal to Ridgeway, the team, and his friends. Rico was the vice-commander of Morgan's eight light tank recon element and complimented the upperclassman so well that the pair was a walking, talking 'Mutt and Jeff' comedy team. As a kid, Rico had occasionally worked in an older cousin's chop shop where he began his learnings into engine maintenance and upgrading. When his cousin was arrested as the head of a non-violent car theft ring, the older man had immediately pleaded guilty and demanded that Rico get out of the business. The young boy had done so and changed his life. Upon discovering tankery, Rico's life went ballistic in a positive manner. Devoutly religious but very knowledgeable about the street life, Rico was a veritable wizard at making his Locust haul ass. Other than the four M18 Hellcats in the team line-up; Fuego was the fastest tank on the team.

Presently Rico was speaking about some family related matters.

"Guess what vatos, heard from my family the other day. My cousin Juan is being released from prison.", smirked Rico as he lined up his shot.

"So what, you've been crowing about that for awhile now partner.", came the slow drawl from Tankery Cadet Major John Lee 'Rowdy' Cartwright.

Greg loved the six foot four one hundred ninety-five pound scion of a Texas Ranch Family like a big brother. Rowdy was cool as a cucumber and twice as nice. With tough, ranch-hardened skin, impeccable Southern grace and charm, and the ability to make a six-string guitar set up and beg biscuits from the table; the eighteen-year old senior was Greg's fourth in charge and commanded the heavy assault tank element from his Sherman Firefly nicknamed '_The Rustler'_. With his waxed 'cowboy' mustache and his easy-going demeanor, Rowdy was looked up to by the freshman with awe and was well-respected by the sophomores, juniors, and his fellow seniors. That, in addition to his high intelligence was the reason why Greg had designated Rowdy as the chief cadet instructor for the new team members in basic tankery. Rowdy was also the team's outdoor survival specialist and was a great help during those days' long tankery matches. From the proper ways to start a small campfire to showing the younger members how to hunt for and prepare small game as well as teaching them to live off the land.

"What that means, amigo, is I gotta get something for him since I won't make it home to celebrate. I need some suggestions. Rowdy, you got any? Remember this is the man who set me on the straight and narrow.", returned Rico.

The upperclassman just shrugged his shoulders before returning his attention to his guitar and strumming a gentle chord. Over at the next table, the fifth and final member of Greg's command cadre was the fifteen-year old sophomore who commanded the mobile assault element of two Sherman Easy Eights and two Sherman Jumbos.

The five foot eleven inch, two hundred pound sophomore Tankery Cadet Captain Morris 'Big Mo' Chapman was a quiet and introverted kind of fella with an astounding artistic ability. While usually quiet and soft-spoken; when in command of his Easy Eight, 'Big Mo' roared like a lion. The senior members of the team-Greg included-treated Morris like a most-favored little brother but understood that when he was leading his 'Stagecoach' element, he was the boss and respected his fairness and command ability. The younger student cast his classmate an annoyed look as he worked on what was sure to be another masterpiece. Stopping and looking over the underclassman's shoulder, Greg lifted an eyebrow at the drawing of what he recognized as one of their M22 Locust light tanks in action. And yet… it was different. So different that Greg couldn't figure out what the difference was offhand. Curious, the junior asked about it.

"It is a Locust…..somewhat. I was doing some research on another topic when I stumbled over some information left by a previous student. In his campaign notebooks, this unnamed student mentioned that after a match with one of the veteran tankery teams that Ridgeway lost, he theorized that the M22 Locusts our school had at the time could be up-gunned in the manner of the Sherman Firefly and M10 Wolverine/Achilles with a British Ordinance anti-tank gun. This particular student was partial to replacing the 37mm main gun of the M22 with the QF 6-pounder/57mm gun as its main cannon."

Greg nodded and beckoned the sophomore to continue.

"The student brought his theory up with the Tankery Team Advisor/Instructor of that generation and the two agreed that the idea had merit. However the legislative body of Interscholastic Tankery denied them the necessary authorization to proceed with their experiment. I guess they were under pressure to disallow said permission from another legislative entity. From what I gathered as I read the notebooks, the student and the instructor went ahead with their plans regardless of the fact that they did not have the authorization to do so. Though it took them awhile, they built a wooden mock-up of an M22 with the QF 6 pounder in order to perform a feasibility study on the modification. In addition they came up with the blueprints for the modification and created the step-by-step procedure for performing the upgrade. It goes without saying that the instructor and his student did all of that with the tacit approval and covert support of the Ridgeway principal and faculty of that time. Unfortunately, the legislative body caught wind of the project and ordered its cessation as well as requesting that our school turn over all the relevant printed materials. Long story short, the advisor refused and Ridgeway was ordered to terminate his employment. As a result of that the student resigned from school under protest and Ridgeway had to pay substantial fines and was banned from national tankery tournaments for a period of three to five years. This forfeiture was the main cause of decline of the tankery program until it was abolished a short time later. As you know, Ridgeway was out of tankery for a period of around ten-fifteen years and only restarted the program twenty years ago.", finished Morris.

Gregory crossed his arms and lowered his head to mull over the information he'd just been given. Though the discussion was skosh on details, he figured that if their Ridgeway predecessor believed it was doable then it was their duty as Ridgeway tankery cadets to find the blueprints, the mock-up, and the procedure for the upgrades. Then build and operate the modified Locusts in his honor and use them to surprise every other tankery program out there. In addition there was the possibility that Ridgeway could come up with an upgrade kit to sell to other schools that used the M22 Locust. Making a decision Greg waved Rico over and spoke with the two sophomores.

"Listen up Mo, I want you to continue your research into this theory and bring Rico up to date. Find out what happened to those plans, the mock-up, the written version of the procedure to make the modifications, and all related materials. If during the course of your research you happen to discover that those materials still exist in one form or another, I want you to make it your business to verify them and get them back here any way you can. If they exist and you get them back here, I want you, the Ghoul, and Rico to go over them and see the feasibility of the modification. However I want the three of you to keep this close to the vest. We would not want our opponents-especially Cascade Mountain-to discover what we're doing. We'll discuss this more in the meeting once the back room comes available. I'll bring Morg and Rowdy up to speed during the meeting. Is that okay with both of you?", asked Greg.

Both cadets said yes and Greg nodded before grinning.

"Now hand that pool cue over, Rico. It's time for me to show youse mugs how to properly play pool!", taunted Greg as he slid out of his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves.

The group of friends laughed as their boss stepped up to the table with the pool cue in hand and proceeded to break the balls to start a new game. School was out for the day and their afternoon was free. It was time for the guys to get in some hardcore relaxation before the meeting and the events that were being prepared for the arrival of the beautiful ladies from Saunders.

* * *

><p>A little over a quarter mile distant from the Ridgeway Boys Senior Academy School Ship, Kay Saunders had left the meeting where the Saunders Student Council had met with their Ridgeway counterparts and was making her way to the Sensha-dou bay and the teams officeclubhouse. As she walked through the halls sipping her Coke, Kay listened to the various conversations permeating the area. Though there were several topics floating around, the main topic of discussion was the news about the students of Ridgeway Senior Boys Academy. Some of the girls were ecstatic that they were going to meet boys and were discussing what boys liked, what kinds of outfits to purchase, how much perfume to wear, and how much-if any-cosmetics they should wear. Other girls were angry that their single-gender institution and haven was going to lose its innocence where girls could get a great education without such a distraction as teenage boys as well as prepare for their upcoming adulthood. In addition there was a third group who were indifferent to meeting members of the opposite sex. Those belonging to this particular clique reasoned that since they were going to have to deal with men as adults; why not get started now and deal with boys before they become men.

Kay didn't lump herself into any one group. Rather, she identified with all three groups. Kay was happy to meet the Ridgeway boys, yet she was concerned about how it was going to affect her now that her schools' innocence was laid bare. Kay also reckoned that now would be a good time to learn about boys and how her own burgeoning feminine wiles would affect them. She counted it as a learning experience. Entering the Sensha-dou bay she made a meanderingly casual beeline towards the clubhouse. Stepping though the door and into the conference room Kay noticed that Naomi and Alisa were already present. The latter having already activated the video conferencing equipment and was waiting for the blonde to take her seat at the head of the table before she connected the call.

First to answer was the commander of the nine-time national champion and eleven-time finalist Black Forest Peak Sensha-dou team Maho Nishizumi and her adjutant/Vice Commander, the ever-annoying Erika Itsumi. Both girls were still in the red-trimmed black skirt, black blazer, and grey shirt of their school uniform.

"Kay.", stated Maho when she saw who was on the line.

"Maho, Erika. How nice to see you again. Are you doing well?", asked Key in greeting

"We're fine, why are you contacting us?", growled Erika

"I'll reveal that all in due time Itsumi. We're still waiting for some others to join the conversation.

Erika was about to complain, but a strict glare from her team commander squelched that impulse and its attendant explosion. Within minutes, members from the other Sensha-Dou teams connected with the Saunders trio. First after the representatives from Black Forest, were the representatives from Pravda; Katyusha of the Swirling Snow and her Vice Commander Nonna the Blizzard. They were soon followed by Anzio Academy's ever-excitable Anchovy and her two subordinates Carpaccio and Pepperoni. Next up were Ladies Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe, and Assam from Saint Gloriana Girls College. And finally, the last school to connect was the reigning Sensha-dou National Champions Ooarai Girls Academy represented by team commander Miho Nishizumi and Student Council President Anju Kadotani. As usual, Anji (as Kay preferred to call her) was snacking on some dried sweet potatoes.

As each school had connected, Kay had politely greeted them and was given the same respect and courtesy in return. From what she could see of the Ooarai girls, Kadotani had her stockinged feet propped up on her desk and seemed a bit indifferent to the whole thing. Kay knew better than to be suckered in by Anju's feigned façade of indifference. Anju was actually quite intrigued by the visual communications between the schools. The blonde chalked it up to the fact that Ooarai had recently purchased the video-conferencing equipment and were still figuring out how to use it. Shifting her attention to the Nishizumi sisters, Kay listened as the siblings greeted each other. Miho was presently inquiring after Maho's wellbeing.

"I am well, Miho. Thank you for asking. How are you and your team doing?", questioned the elder Nishizumi.

"We're fine big sister Maho. Here at Ooarai we are working on the hanger for our tanks. Our facilities, as you know, are much older than everyone else's and in dire need of renovation, repair, and upgrading. In addition; our program has been the recipient of some new funding and we have procured a couple of new tanks. However, that is all I can and am willing to say about it.", replied Miho.

Curious about the non-mention of Shiho Nishizumi, Kay watched as Maho nodded before revealing her reason for her reaching out to their opponents.

"Ladies, the reason I have contacted you and requested this video conference because of what our school-ship is presently doing. A few days ago I spoke with Miss Pekoe since Lady Darjeeling was not feeling well. At that time I mentioned that Saunders University High School was enroute to join up with the school-ship of our brother school Ridgeway Senior Boys Academy.", started Kay.

"Yes, Orange did mention that to me of her speaking with you about that particular topic. After conversing with her, I spoke with my counterpart at our brother school, Sir Archibald Smyth-Jones of Highbury Technical Boys School. Sir Archibald respects Ridgeway, their Sensha-dou team, and its commander Mr. Treadway. _'He is most unpredictable.'_ was Sir Archibald's comment when I asked him about the Ridgeway team commander.", stated Darjeeling as she sipped her namesake tea.

"_Wait a fucking minute here! You're telling us that there are_ _**BOYS **__participating in __**OUR SPORT! **__That's in…in…intolerable!", _Erika retorted in an angry stammer.

Maho rolled her eyes in frustration at her second in commands' outburst. The two of them had spoken with Instructor Nishizumi about this very topic not more than a week or so ago. Shiho was congratulating them on their victory over the Sensha-dou team of the Hurtgen Forest Boys School, brother school to Black Forest Peak, in a practice match to dust off their skills and keep them sharp.

"Erika, you forgot that we discussed this with Instructor Nishizumi last week. Though they do not compete here in Japan, they are well-known overseas where they compete. Mother was not happy with Hurtgen Forest's loss to them a couple of months ago. She is not their instructor but she does give them advice on occasion.", Maho stated with a lifted eyebrow.

Anchovie and Katyusha complained but admitted that they knew of the participation of boys in their sacred sport through exposure to the teams of their brother schools. Unfortunately, neither Pravda nor Anzio's brother schools were any good. Listening to the ongoing discussions on the line, Kay quirked an eyebrow when she noticed Miho and Anji were remaining silent on the topic while covertly glancing at each other. She was about to say something when Katyusha called them on their lack of addition to the conversation. The quick glance between Anju and Miho convinced Kay that the two were holding back information on the subject of boys in Sensha-dou.

"We've heard of boys Sensha-dou and were invited to observe the match between Ooarai Boys Academy and Ridgeway Senior Boys School by our opposites at Ooarai Boys. Each school used twenty tanks apiece like in the final round of the National Championships and participated in a 'Capture the Flag' match. Our brothers at Ooarai Boys were quickly able to knock out four of their tanks in the first few minutes of the match. However, Ridgeway responded well and managed to beat our boys on the final day of the match. Like Lady Darjeeling stated earlier; the Ridgeway team, or to be more precise their commander, are most unpredictable. I believe that all of our schools would have a hard time against them. In fact, out of all of our schools; Black Forest-with all due respect-would have almost no chance of beating them with the tactics you use now.", responded Miho shyly but with a supportive look from her class president.

Of course her comments caused Erika to go ballistic and she ranted for a good five minutes before Maho was able to calm her down with reluctance. Returning her attention back to her sister Maho asked rather strongly why the younger Nishizumi heiress believed that remark.

"Like I said dear sister Maho, it's because of your tactics. You adhere strictly to the venerated 'Nishizumi Style' pioneered by mother. Your strategies are good; some of the best out there. However, your tactics and believing in the mass armored assault need help against someone like Commandant Treadway and the boys of Ridgeway. For example, you like to use the full might of your tanks to surround and hammer your opponents until you've either wiped them out in an 'Elimination' match or taken out their flag tank in a 'Capture the Flag' match. Basically that is a sound strategy until you run into an unpredictable team like mine. Last year when Ooarai won the championship, nay before that, when we beat Pravda in the semifinals we used unpredictable tactics to win the match. Case in point, after Katyusha trapped us in the town and gave us the time to formulate a new strategy, Ooarai broke out by feinting towards the false weak spot before changing direction and attacking Pravda head on. You watched that match and saw what we did after breaking out of Pravda's well laid trap, sister.", responded Miho confidently

Maho nodded as she remembered that match. Her sister had used Ooarai's 38(t) to charge at Pravda's T-34's allowing the rest of Ooarai to evade into the darkness. Then after topping a rise and getting out of Pravda's line of sight; Miho and her Panzer IV accompanied by the Ooarai StuG III assault gun had returned to the village, defeated Pravda's KV-2, and caused the Pravda Flag Tank to run into their own ambush. Continuing to remember Black Forest's own battle against her sister in the final, Maho thought on how Ooarai once again used their Hetzer-converted 38(t) to wreak havoc among her own forces before teaming up with the Ooarai Type 89 to put Black Forests' Mighty Maus out of commission.

_"Get to the bloody point, Miho!",_ snarled Erika in retaliation.

Miho winced at the hostility in Itsumi's voice as Anju glared at the Black Forest Peak Sub-Commander.

"What she means, asshole, is that if you think our unpredictability was bad enough. Then Ridgeway's unpredictability in tactics will drive you nuts. From what we gathered, Greg Treadway has a tendency to split his forces up into different groups for independent action. As we watched the Ridgeway/Ooarai Boys match, after our Ooarai brothers knocked out those four Ridgeway tanks, Treadway changed his order of battle and Ridgeway went on a rampage. Over the next three days, our boys were like idiot hounds chasing a wily fox. The captain of the Ooarai Boys Academy Sensha-dou team complained that every time his tanks got the Ridgeway Flag tank in sight, Ridgeway's M18 Hellcats would pull off a drive-by ambush and take out some more of his tanks. As all of you know, the M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer was the fastest tank of World War II. Greg uses that ability to his advantage. One minute our boys would think they had the match won; the next a full barrage of 76mm would come from nowhere accompanied by the howl of the Hellcat's engine. Hell, Miho's opposite number tried to set up an ambush with his Panzer II's and III's only to have Ridgeway's M22 Locusts and M5 Stuarts tear them a new one with their 37mm main cannons.", growled Anju in a vitriol fueled reply.

Before more insults could start flying, Maho gave her number two an icy look.

"Vice Commander Itsumi, I would appreciate it if you would cease talking out of your ass and embarrassing our school.", Maho stated evenly.

In the ensuing silence Darjeeling cleared her throat and replaced her teacup on its saucer and mentioned that they were getting off topic before asking Key to continue while uncharacteristically glaring at Erika's image on the screen. Kay thanked her and continued speaking.

"As I mentioned previously, our school ship was to be joined by that of our brother school. At this present time I am pleased to announce to you our Sensha-dou friends and competitors that the ships of Saunders University High School and Ridgeway Senior Boys Academy joined up in formation a couple of hours ago and are now sailing together at fifteen knots. Soon after our join up the Student Council from Ridgeway was welcomed aboard to meet our Student Council and discuss the possibility of some of our students going aboard to meet their students. In addition to this, Ridgeway is supposedly throwing some sort of welcoming party for the women of Saunders who are authorized to visit Ridgeway. As commander of the Saunders Sensha-dou team, I and my vice-commanders have been invited to travel over to Ridgeway to meet with our counterparts. I have also been giving authorization to invite selected team members to travel with Naomi, Alisa, and myself to meet members of the Ridgeway Senior Boys Academy Sensha-dou team. We will be provided with translators and interpreters for communication. Darjeeling, Krystal Treadway; twin sister to Ridgeway's commander will be one of the girls accompanying the three of us to Ridgeway and will be acting as our interpreter. ", stated Kay with a confidence she didn't actually feel.

Out of the corner of her eyes she could see that her two friends were taken aback but soon realized that as Kay's second and third in command it was quite obvious that they would accompany Kay on her trip to the boys' school ship. Continuing her explanation the sixteen year old blonde went on to speak about some of the discussions that had been held during the visit by the Ridgeway Student Council. The group of young women talked about the implications of this news for a couple of hours. It was only when the Saunders Student Council President sent one of her own representatives to inform Kay of the time and to remind her that it was imperative for the Sensha-dou trio to be on time in order to be part of the first group of Saunders students traveling over to the other ship for the welcoming ceremony. The council representative also reminded Kay, Naomi, and Alisa of the need to wear the longer, more formal uniform skirt for the visit.

Kay growled at that bit of information. Like most of her friends she hated to wear the longer, dress uniform skirt. She considered it too modest and unflattering to her figure. Snapping a response to the student councils' messenger, Kay finished her part of the conversation with her Sensha-dou contemporaries and disconnected the call. Rising from her seat and motioning for Naomi and Alisa to accompany her through the tank hanger, Kay asked her two subordinates to assist her in choosing those team members being allowed to accompany them to the boys' school. She had already decided to include Krystal Treadway and wanted input on whom else to choose.

"Why don't we bring some of the first years? It could be a learning experience for them.", commented Naomi.

"_No! No first years!_ They're just now settling in as students and Sensha-dou team members. It would not be beneficial for them to be exposed to boys like this. If it was in a more controllable setting, then yeah bring them. After the ceremony we're going to be given cart blanche to go anywhere aboard their ship we choose. Of course we'll have chaperones as well as escorts but I still think it would be better for the freshmen if they remained here. Our sophomore and junior team members are more mature and won't succumb to the boys' wiles.", retorted Alisa angrily.

_**"Sounds like Alisa's boyfriend's still being an asshole and not giving her the right 'type' of phone conversation to ease her temper.", **__thought Kay as they walked through the bay inspecting the tanks._

Kay thought for a little bit longer before asking how many first year students were in the Saunders Sensha-dou program in any capacity. Naomi checked her tablet before giving Kay an answer.

"Twenty-six first years in Sensha-dou spread out among the three teams and the team maintenance group; sixteen on the primary team alone, hmm interesting. Naomi, Alisa, have six of them join us and partner them up with some of our second and third years who are going over. It would be a good experience for them. However, having them with our older girls should counter their virgin exuberance.", stated Kay while turning to face the duo and placing her hands on her hips.

"Plus, first years are often too damn chatty for their own good sometimes.", groused the shorter girl as she remembered an embarrassing moment when her mouth got away from her during her own time as a first year Saunders student.

"Good Point, Alisa! Thanks for reminding me of that fact! I'd forgotten about that!", chirruped Kay brightly while clapping her hands.

Naomi gazed at her leader's excitement and just shook her head and returning her attention to the list of students on her tablet while Alisa scowled a bit more at Kay's comments before storming off to inform the chosen first year students. As her intelligence officer stomped off in anger Kay sighed before turning to Naomi and checking her watch. Seeing the time Kay spoke with the taller girl for a short while longer before the two went their separate ways. Their departure time for Ridgeway was fast approaching and the two still had some things to do before they got ready.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, aboard the Ridgeway school ship the welcoming ceremony had gone off perfectly and the girls were enjoying the reception thrown in their honor that followed. Presently students from both schools were mingling with their opposite numbers around the reception hall while the audiovisual clubs for both schools recorded everything for posterity and history. Sitting down at the table reserved for the Saunders Sensha-dou command staff and their opposite numbers, Kay watched as Naomi danced with one of the Ridgeway Sensha-dou team members on the highly polished make-shift dance floor. To the full-figured blonde junior it was hilarious to see her tall and somewhat awkward tomboy of a second in command smiling up at her even taller dance partner who was being the perfect gentleman. Kay knew that Naomi often times worried about her height whenever they managed to go shopping while their school ship was docked. Standing at or around five foot eight-five foot nine inches tall, Naomi was the tallest girl on the team and one of the tallest in school (though she was dwarfed by members of the basketball team. The shortest of those girls started out at six foot one).

Kay took a small bite from the plate in front of her and listened to Krystal as she spoke with her twin brother about something or another. Sneaking a glance at Gregory Treadway the blonde observed his mannerisms and the expressions on his face. To her, the fifteen year old boy stood around five foot ten inches tall and weighed in at an estimated one hundred eighty-five solid pounds; had medium brown hair like his sister, and medium brown eyes. When they had been introduced by Krystal shortly after arriving, Kay had noticed that one of Greg's eyes was subtlety lighter than the other. A trait he shared with his twin sister. This genetic trait intrigued her and she wondered what could be the cause of it. On Krystal the fact that one eye was lighter than the other gave the chocolate-skinned girl a somewhat exotic look. Seeing the same eyes on a teenage boy really fired up Kay's imagination (in the far back of her subconsciousness, Kay's libido was starting to wake up, though she didn't know it at the time). Like many of her schoolmates, the seventeen year old Saunders Woman was an avowed reader of romance novels (when she was extremely bored) and knew that those kinds of situations were rarely encountered in real life. Unlike some of the Saunders student body, Kay had never worried about her attractiveness to the opposite sex. Being a beautiful girl in a school full of them rarely crossed her mind; though she did occasionally compare her body to that of some of the seniors in gym class.

Across the table from Kay, Greg was having a hard time keeping his eyes from wandering away from his sister during their conversation to his counterpart on the other side of the table. Krystal had already caught him looking at her commander for a shade too long on six different occasions and was mercilessly teasing him about it in the way siblings do. Bringing his attention back to Krystal for the seventh time and seeing the teasing glint in her eyes, Greg knew that she was enjoying his predicament a tad too much.

_**"I already know that I'll probably be hearing from mom about this. Damn my sisters' inquisitive prankster nature!", **__mentally growled Greg as he listened to Krystal's next question._

"_Sooooo_, little brother; I gotta ask: where y'all hiding your tanks? I heard that your school recently received some new ones.", questioned Krystal cattily.

"Sister, dearest sister mine you know damn well what new tanks we have so why do you ask? In answer to your question we did get four new tanks. Four revitalized M26 Pershings to be exact. To be honest we haven't tested them yet but from our inspection they are in good shape.", responded Greg with a sly grin of his own.

As the translated words reverberated in her ears from the extra translator sitting at the table, Kay put her champagne flute of sparkling apple cider down on the table and directed her full attention to the siblings' conversation.

"_Pershings! Cool! _ I hope that I get to see them!", gushed Krystal.

Greg chuckled at her excitement. The M26 Pershing was one of his twin's favorite tanks right after the Sherman 'Easy Eight' and the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank. After the M18 Hellcat, the M60 Patton, and the Easy Eight, the M26 Pershing was one of his favorite tanks as well. Hearing the attractive blonde talking with his sister, Greg sat back and wondered what the two were talking about. It seemed to him that Krystal was answering a question.

"Kay, the reason I love the Sherman is because of our great-grandfather. Great-grandfather Marlon was a tank commander during World War II. He fought with the 761st Tank Battalion during the Battle of the Bulge. As part of General Patton's Third Army, the Black Panthers of the 761st were a part of the spearhead that went hell for leather across Germany to aid the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. During one hundred and eighty three days of continuous combat, our great-grandfather had two tanks shot out from under him. Though he was injured both times, he always went back and rejoined his platoon.", explained Krystal.

Kay lifted an eyebrow in understanding. She had heard about the 761st and admired those men for what they went through to defend their country and what they had undergone. She respected the hell out of those men and now knew the story about the patch Krystal wore on her tanker's jacket and the emblem she'd fought for months to have painted on her Sherman Jumbo. Returning her attention to her teammate Kay listened as Krystal continued.

"After the war our great-grandfather went back to school and became a successful businessman. When our father was born our great-grandfather and our grandfather returned to the battlefields of Europe to search for the two destroyed tanks he had commanded before their destruction. They found one of them and asked for permission to purchase it and ship it back home for refurbishment and renovation. Though permission was denied, the tank was brought back and put in a museum after being refurbished. Whenever we would visit our grandparents when Greg and I were much younger, Grandfather would always take us to the museum to see our great-grandfather's tank. Last I heard it had been removed from the display for refurbishing again.", finished Krystal.

Kay nodded and returned her attention to the table where her dinner plate had been replaced by a saucer with a slice of lemon meringue pie. Using her fork and cutting a small piece from the slice, she listened as the siblings spoke of other things. Finishing up her dessert, Kay saw that her opposite number was asking his twin a question. Seeing Krystal glance once in her direction before answering, Kay waited for Krystal to speak.

"Kay, Greg is asking if we want to be a part of the induction ceremony for his new team members. Tonight they are receiving their Stetsons, ascots, and team patches. He wants to know if we would honor them by assisting him and his cadre as the new members are added to their roster?", asked Krystal.

After thinking on the offered invitation for a moment Kay accepted on behalf of her team and told Krystal to tell her brother of her acceptance. Watching as Krystal translated her acceptance of the invitation, Kay smiled and observed as the siblings got up and made their way to the dance floor. As the siblings started to dance Kay felt a new emotion beginning to boil within her and recognized it as the first stage of jealousy. Unconsciously, Kay started grinding her teeth. Sitting next to her commander after her dance partner had escorted her back to the table, Naomi glanced at Kay with a concerned look. She had just thanked the senior for the dance and watched as he went and mingled with some of his schoolmates where they had gathered by the buffet table. Slipping off her shoes and rubbing her sore feet Naomi turned to her friend and spoke.

"If you are interested in Mr. Treadway, why don't you go and ask him to dance. We've been here celebrating for over an hour and you have yet to dance with any of the boys. You've even turned down the few who had gathered up enough courage and asked you to dance. Granted, some of those boys weren't the most courteous but nonetheless you turned them down. From what I can tell, you're enjoying yourself but are not having as much fun as everybody else is. If you look at the dance floor, even Alisa is having a blast. Hell, she's been on the dance floor with the Ridgeway third in command for almost twenty minutes now.", murmured Naomi.

Kay glanced over to where Alisa was standing with the short third in command of the Ridgeway Team. It did look as if the shorter girl was enjoying herself if the smile on her face was anything to go by.

"I'll think about it Naomi. Right now I'm just enjoying myself and keeping an eye on the rest of the girls.", replied Kay.

"I suggest you make a decision about that soon. I overheard one of the senior from the soccer team talking with her friends about young master Treadway. From what I heard Tracey is more than just 'interested' in hm. She's been observing his interaction with you and isn't too happy about it. I know of the enmity between the two of you. Tracey can tell that you are interested in him but are scared to act on your interest. She wants to lay a claim on him before you get up the nerve to do so. And you know how much of a charming bitch Tracey can be when she wants to. In my opinion, you need to stake your claim on Krystal's brother before she can get her claws in to him. More than any of us, you know exactly what's she'll do and what she's capable of. However, in order to get a leg up on the competition, I recommend that you ask Krystal if she wouldn't mind you asking Greg out. She has already exerted her 'Big Sister's' prerogative and spoken with some of our teammates about their fascination with her brother.", continued Naomi as she gazed intently at her commander.

Kay sighed in resignation. She already knew that Tracey Simpkins could be a vindictive wench at times. As a junior she had been an integral part of the Sensha-dou team until she'd had a falling out with her crew. Their instructor had gotten tired of Tracey's antics and had expelled her from the team for actions unbecoming a Saunders Woman. With her skills as a gunner on par with Naomi's, it had been a bad day for all. Ever since then Kay's team had missed having another expert Sherman Firefly commander and gunner to balance out her forces in competition and sometimes Tracey's gunnery expertise with the 76mm was missed. Like Naomi, Tracey had been the commander of a Sherman Firefly and a tank sniper with several 'kills' to her credit. Simpkins had also occasionally commanded Saunders lone M36 Jackson Tank Destroyer. At one time, Tracey had been on pace to becoming the team commander until Kay had been selected for the position because of her gregarious personality and her ability to inspire others as well as put her opponents at ease when meeting them.

Continuing her mental observations as Naomi shifted to another topic, Kay watched as the subject of her musings made her move towards her opposite number as he escorted his sister back to their table. As they approached Tracey intercepted the pair and asked Krystal if she wouldn't mind allowing her to borrow Greg for a dance or two. Since Tracey spoke respectable English; Tracy, like Krystal had been assigned as an interpreter for another group of Saunders students that included her clique as well as some of the first years. Krystal demurred and directed Tracy to address Greg directly. Tracy did so and Greg accepted before offering his arm and escorting her to the dance floor. As the pair walked off, Kay heard Krystal muttering to herself.

"Damn that conniving harlot! I know she overheard me asking the principal for permission to stay aboard and spend the night at Greg's place. She knows I got that permission to do so after clearing it with Ridgeway's Headmaster, provided a classmate comes with. I bet that Tracey's gonna go to a chaperone and the morals committee and use her position as a senior to allow her to join me aboard. She'll probably explain that since she's a senior and of legal age, she can be my chaperone for my overnight stay. _DAMMIT, I don't want her to come! _ Knowing her, she's still pissed that I scored higher than she did on our last test after she had bragged to her posse about acing it!", grumbled Krystal with a glare directed towards her nemesis.

The elder Treadway glanced at her teammates and wondered if any of them could come.

"Sorry Krystal. I can't help ya with that. I have to study for a major test that's coming up. Kay has already gave me permission to skip any meetings we have this weekend.", answered Naomi as she put a stick of gum in her mouth.

"I can't help you either, Krystal. My ex-boyfriend Takashi is planning on calling tomorrow morning. He wants to hear how this event was. The poor jealous boy is still kissing my ass about getting back together again. Sorry I can't help you with your dilemma Krys.", chimed Alisa as she returned from the dance floor.

Before Krystal could ask, Kay found herself voicing her assistance. She didn't know why she did it but she felt that if it was a way to ruin Tracey's seductive machinations towards Mr. Treadway, then she was all for it. Accepting the enthusiastic thanks from Krystal, Kay didn't catch the knowing look that passed between Naomi and Alisa. As Krystal settled down, the group was joined by Greg and a smug-looking Tracey.

"Hey bro guess what? My friend Kay agreed to join me in staying at your place tonight. Is that okay with you and your roommate?", asked Krystal

"Sure, it's no problem. The headmaster, my counselor, and my team's instructor agreed to it as long as you had a schoolmate join you. The two of you can crash out on my bed while I take the couch. My roomie Morgan said it was okay as well. He'll join us in watching some movies for a bit but he has a six-page essay to write for one of his classes on Monday.", replied Greg with a smile.

The two siblings chatted for a moment more before Tracey made her excuses and headed off to rejoin her friends. Before she left, Kay watched as Tracey kissed Greg on the cheek and thanked him for the dances they had shared. As the senior walked off after accepting Greg's own thanks, Kay was the only one to see the dagger-like look Tracey express-mailed her way. Feeling her own hackles rise and stir up her competitive streak, Kay glared back until Naomi kicked her ankle under the table. Stifling her grimace of pain Kay changed her glare into a triumphant smirk in Tracey's direction. Seeing the smirk, the older girl growled low in her throat before angrily flouncing off. Smothering her grin of victory, Kay turned to Greg and asked in her halting English (with a little help from an innocent-looking Krystal) if he wanted to dance. He accepted and offered his hand so he could lead her to the dance floor. As they left the pair didn't notice the satisfied looks on the faces of Kay's three teammates and the confused look from the member of Greg's cadre who shared the table with them.

Forty-five minutes later, Kay and her teammate followed one of the Ridgeway Freshmen tankery cadets to the venue where his new teammates were to be inducted on to the team.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kay and Krystal woke-up to the smell of breakfast. Attired in sweats and t-shirts the two girls exited Greg's bedroom where they had shared the bed. Seeing that the couch was vacant and the debris from their marathon movie-watching session had been cleaned up, the two came upon Greg's roommate as he cooked. Seeing the inquisitive looks Morgan answered their unspoken question.<p>

"Greg left this morning after cleaning up last nights' mess as well as putting his extra blankets away. He went to hit the gym for a short workout before going over to the velodrome to ride his bike. The velodrome is one of his hangouts and he'll occasionally spend at least a couple of hours out there when he goes. Don't worry he grabbed a bite before leaving me a note asking me to cook for the two of you when you woke up. Also, Greg wanted me to let you know that the helicopter to return you to your school will be leaving in a couple of hours. So after eating the two of you will need to get ready. I have to run an errand after I eat but I'll try to be back to escort you to the helipad if Greg isn't back in time. If I'm not back before you leave or if Greg isn't here in time just lock the door behind you. You can catch the bus in front of the dorm. Let the driver know where you're going and he'll take you there.", commented Morgan as he placed a full plate of food on the table in front of each girl as they sat down

Kay and Krystal thanked Morgan for the meal and began to eat. When they had finished, the pair put their plates, utensils, and glasses in the dishwasher before returning to Greg's room and performing their morning ablutions. A little over an hour later the two Saunders students were boarding the bus to the helipad where they would meet the helicopter shuttling them back over to their school. When they arrived at the helipad, Kay and Krystal saw that the helicopter's crew were warming up the rotorcraft and running through their preflight checklists. The two Saunders girls made their way over to where the crew chief and checked in. The student crew chief looked at his clipboard and checked their names off of the passenger manifest before allowing them to board. Once they were strapped into their seats, the teenagers accepted a helmet and life vest from the fourth crewmember and listened as he gave them a quick safety briefing. By the time he was finished the twin engines were running and the rotors were already spinning at liftoff speed. As the helicopter lifted off from Ridgeway's deck the Sensha-dou teammates had started chatting about the previous evening and the pair of ceremonies they had attended. Both girls agreed that induction ceremony had been the more enjoyable of the two.

Kay was presently gushing about how her and the other team representatives had entered the hall underneath the arch of cavalry sabers while on the arms of their Ridgeway counterparts and had been escorted to the V.I.P. section of the stage. She also exclaimed how handsome the boys had looked in their black cavalry uniforms, white ascots, cowboy hats, and the spurs she'd heard jingling during the ceremony. Krystal was expounding on how well Kay and the others had done as they had the honor of placing the black Stetsons on the heads of the new members of Greg's team. Both girls laughed at how raucous the party had become after the completion of the serious part of the ceremony. Krystal teased Kay about how a freshman had nervously asked her to dance after some prompting from a group of his friends. Kay had accepted the offer and happily danced with the young boy much to the astonishment of his friends.

"Would you believe that he asked me for my phone number and email address?", asked Kay.

"No, I don't believe it. Did you give them to him?", returned Krystal.

"Yeah, he was so anxious that it was such a cute scene. I asked him to give them to your brother but only after he showed his friends that he got them. I think it was some kind of dare but it was fun to see the awe in their eyes.

After a bout of girlish giggling, the conversation continued on for a bit longer before petering out. Wondering why it had gotten relatively quiet, the crew chief stuck his head into the passenger cabin and stifled a laugh of his own. The pair of Saunders women had fallen asleep. Passing word to the cockpit crew, the teenaged Naval Studies student retrieved an old woolen blanket from a storage bin and shook it out before gently draping it over the two girls before he returned to his jumpseat. Gazing out the window as the Saunders flight deck appeared out of the mist, he felt the pilot circle the deck and make his approach to the well-lit landing spot. The crew chief shook his head and made his preparations for landing. Seconds later the SH-3 Sea King, old workhorse of the navy, settled on the Saunders helipad with a gentle rocking motion and nary an extraneous bounce. Once the rotors slowed to a stop, the crew chief opened the side door and gently shook the two girls awake. After helping them unstrap their seatbelts and assisting them to the deck, he waved over jeep waiting several yards away. When it pulled up to a stop just outside the arc of the stopped rotors, the teenaged boy walked Krystal and Kay over and helped them into the back of the vehicle. Once they were situated, he passed the girls' overnight bags up before slapping the side of the jeep twice and watching it pull off. Checking his watch and seeing that the old Sea King would be departing Saunders after refueling for the return trip to about twenty minutes. Retrieving the discarded helmets and life vests the girls had left behind, the crew chief returned them and the blanket to the storage compartment before returning to his seat and striking up a conversation with the pilot and co-pilot. Minutes later the helicopter lifted off and gracefully turned away from the massive ship and made its way back to Ridgeway.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And with those words I close out the second chapter of 'Girls und Panzer: Battle Royale' and breathe a sigh of relief as I wipe some sweat from my brow. I have finally finished this chapter that I've been promising my two beta-readers Heretical Shinigami and F-14 Tomcat Lover for the past few months. With only the last couple of paragraphs to go, I've been stuck trying to get this out for awhile. It seems as if each time I sat down to finish this, I'd end up distracted by something and this would sit on my screen for days patiently waiting for me to get it done. I guess that even though I'd already had the chapter handwritten and finished, it wasn't ready for me to transfer it to my laptop. For those who have been patiently waiting for this, I deeply apologize. <strong>_

_**With my lame excuses out of the way, I first want to thank my two beta-readers and editors Heretical Shinigami (H-Shin to some) **__** and F-14 Tomcat Lover. Thanks guys I appreciate your help and words of wisdom. Two snaps up in a Z-Formation to both of y'alls. The handwritten version of Chapter 3 is done and waiting for me to start the transfer to the laptop. I hope youse mugs will again give me your suggestions, criticisms, and words of wisdom once again when Chapter 3 is ready for beta. H-Shin, I can't wait for the next chapter of your story 'Open Warfare'. As for the other thing we talked about awhile back, once I get Chapter 3 started on the comp, if you are still interested, I'll dash it off and get it to you soonest. Thanks again my friend. **_

_**As for more other more famous stories, they are still on hiatus. I still haven't gotten the data off my old hard drive yet. I hope to have it in the near future and will post an update in my bio once I have more information. Before anyone asks, no I haven' t discontinued them and they are not up for adoption. I really want to have those stories recovered so I can work on them again. **_

_**A few weekends ago, I was able to again attend MechaCon XI here in the Big Easy (New Orleans, La for the uninformed). T was my sixth time going and once again I had a blast (stayed off of Bourbon Street though). I was able to pick-up some swag, listen to a few panels, and watch some new series in the video rooms (Three this year. Two more than the one room they had last year). During the only showing of Naruto, the Last Movie, I managed to get a good seat and was able to enjoy the movie. Needless to say, the room was absolutely PACKED for that movie. I do hope some of you have managed to see it. I hope to finagle a dvd copy sometime in the future. **_

_**As always, I appreciate the reviews I get and I try to answer them all. I accept all reviews, criticisms, comments, and flames. Though the flames are often File 13'ed if not used for other purposes. **_

_**Once again, I thank you all for reading my stories. They aren't the greatest but I try my best. **_

_**KnighteWolfe**_

_**Knightewolfe's Lair**_

_**8/15**_


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